MELAKA: Fifty-five per cent out of the 1,902 arrests made over corruption cases in the country since 2013 involved youths aged 40 and below.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Community Education director Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said it showed that the number of youths involved with corruption was quite high and the matter should be effectively addressed before the situation worsened.
“We are viewing this matter seriously because youth is the pillar of the nation who will lead the future development of the country.
“As such, we have drawn up various programmes at the state level (in collaboration with) schools, higher learning institutions and the Youth and Sports Ministry, aimed at providing exposure to youths on corruption,” he told reporters, here today.
Earlier, he launched a programme to popularise MACC with public and private agencies as well as local communities here, which was also attended by Melaka MACC director Datuk Azmi Alias.
Elaborating further, Shamshun Baharin said a survey in the perception of corruption in the country however revealed that the number of students who were willing to accept bribes when they were working had declined from 30.5 percent in 2002 to 10.7 percent last year.
He said the decline was attributed to various programmes carried out by the MACC at all levels in the country including through the establishment of the Anti-corruption Secretariat at all higher learning institutions nationwide since 2007 and the Anti-Corruption Hero programme at the school-level.
Among the aspects emphasised by the MACC in combating corruption among youths were the criminal justice system in the country to make them understand the roles and duties of the commission, he said.
Azmi said the Melaka MACC had arrested 29 individuals, comprising 18 civil servants and 11 members of the public over corruption in state between January and today.
He said of that total, five had been charged in court for receiving and offering bribes, involvement in money laundering and making false claims.